Cooking bag for grill

ABSTRACT

A bag for holding a food item within a cooking appliance is formed with a mounting opening. The bag is mounted to a cooking appliance, such as an indoor grill, by placing the mounting openings over a mounting fixture provided on the appliance. Alternatively, the bag may be mounted to the kitchen appliance with a spring-biased clasp.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of pending U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/749,077, filed on Dec. 9, 2005 whosespecification and drawings are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bags, sacks and pouches for holding afood within a cooking or heating appliance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is a cooking bag to avoid a messy clean-up aftergrilling, toasting or otherwise cooking food in a grill, toaster,toaster oven or similar cooking appliance. The bag is designed towithstand the heat of cooking and is adapted to directly contact hotgrilling surfaces without melting or burning during normal use.

The cooking bag is adapted to contain not only the food being cooked butalso any liquids and grease which may be driven from the food duringcooking. Since the food within the bag does not directly contact thecooking appliance, there is little or no need for clean-up. Moreover,the cooking bag can be produced economically so that it may be discardedafter use to further eliminate any clean-up.

It is possible to form a liquid and grease compartment in the bag toseparate the food being cooked from the liquid and grease which dripsfrom the food. Alternatively, or in addition to this separate liquid andgrease compartment, an absorbent material may be disposed within the bagfor absorbing liquid and grease. This is advantageous in that theabsorbent material prevents liquids and grease from flowing out of thebag during cooking in the cooking appliance, during removal of the bagfrom a cooking appliance, during removal of the cooked food from thebag, and during disposal of the bag.

The bag may be constructed from a cooking parchment having a lowfriction interior coating to facilitate removal of food from the bagafter cooking, grilling, baking, etc. The bag is adapted to bepositioned in any orientation within a cooking appliance, from verticalto horizontal. Mounting holes or other mounting arrangements can be usedto secure and fix the bag in position within an appliance duringcooking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a cooking bag constructed inaccordance with the present invention and mounted in a verticalorientation with a cooking appliance.

FIGS. 2 through 7 are views of alternate bag constructions in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial view in section of a bag constructed in accordancewith the invention and including a grease trap.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of section 9 of FIG. 8.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are alternate constructions of section 9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is a view of a bag having a series of attachment points forforming a grease trap.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a bag constructed in accordance withthe invention adapted for use with a horizontal or mildly inclinedclamshell-type grill.

FIG. 14 is an alternate construction of bag having side holdersconstructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a strip of multiple bags formed from aperforated tube-like assembly.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a bag constructed with a bonded edgeseam.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view in section of the seam of area A in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a bag constructed with a bonded faceseam.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view in section of the seam of area B in FIG. 19.

FIGS. 21 through 23 show further embodiments of cooking bags constructedin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cooking baghaving a reclosable adhesive top flap and a removable side panel.

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of FIG. 24 with the peel-off strip removedand the flaps peeled open to release a side panel.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cooking bag.

FIG. 27 is a partial cross sectional view through the seam of the bag ofFIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a partial cross sectional view through the bottom of the bagof FIG. 26.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A bag 110 constructed in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG.1 mounted to a heating or cooking appliance 112. Appliance 112 can be ofvirtually any construction such as a toaster, grill, oven, or the like.As depicted in FIG. 1, bag 110 is provided with such mounting holes,slits or perforations 114 that are adapted to engage mountingprojections such as elbows or hooks 116 fixed to the appliance 112. Theholes or slits can be less than one inch in diameter and can be anywherefrom ⅛ inch long or ⅛ inch in diameter to about ½ inch long to ½ inch indiameter. It is also possible to clip or clamp the bag 110 in positionby substituting or adding spring-biased clips or clamps such as thoseused on clipboards to the appliance 110. Alternatively, wire clipssimilar to paper clips, can be used for this purpose.

In this manner, the bag 110 can be vertically suspended within thecooking appliance 112 for holding a food item 118 within a cookingcompartment 119 as the food is grilled, broiled, toasted, baked orotherwise cooked within the cooking appliance 112. Alternatively, thebag 110 can be mounted at any angle between horizontal and vertical.Food item 118 can be virtually any type of food such as beef, poultry,fish or vegetables. Movable opposed heated grill plates 120 can bemounted in the side walls of appliance 112 and adapted to clamp bag 110and food item 118 between them and apply grill marks to the food itemthrough the bag 110.

As seen in FIGS. 2 through 18, a bag according to the invention can takenumerous forms and can be manufactured in many different ways. In FIG.2, bag 110B is formed with a series of mounting holes 114B. Areinforcing ring 122 can be applied around the periphery of eachmounting hole 114B to add strength to the bag 110B to prevent tearingwhen the bag is suspended with a food item 118 as shown in FIG. 1. Ring122 can be formed of paper, cloth, plastic or other material, and can becircular, oval, rectangular or any other shape. Adhesive or heat can beused to bond the ring 122 to the bag 110B. Ring 122 can be applied as anadhesive bead which surrounds hole 114.

As further seen in FIG. 2, bag 110B can be formed with side folds orgussets 124 to expand in accordion fashion to accommodate thicker fooditems such as thick steaks or vegetables.

Alternatively, as seen in FIG. 3, an extension of each side panel 126 ofbag 110C can be formed as a tab which can be folded over and glued orotherwise fixed to its respective side panel 126 so as to form areinforcing ring 128. Each side panel 126 is glued to the opposed sidepanel 126 along each side edge 130 and along bottom edge 132 so as toform the internal cooking compartment 119. These edges 130 and 132 canbe folded over and bonded for even greater strength.

An alternate location for mounting holes 114D is shown in FIG. 4 whereinthe mounting holes 114D are formed through side edges 130 of bag 110D.In this case, the cooking appliance can be provided with matchinginternal mounting projections.

Another embodiment of bag 110E is shown in FIG. 5 wherein one side panel126E is extended beyond the top edge of the other side panel and foldedover to form a flap 134 with a preformed seam 136. Alternatively, bothside panels can be folded over. A single mounting hole 114E may beprovided, as shown formed in flap 134. In this manner, the bag 110E cansubstantially encapsulate a food item 18.

With the embodiment of FIG. 5, a food item can be prepackaged within bag110E and refrigerated or frozen until use. Such prepackaged food itemscan be sold at grocery stores, brought home and cooked without any messor preparation other than inserting the prepackaged food item into theappliance, cooking it and removing it from bag 110E and eating it. Thebag 110E can be discarded, or can include a closure at the top such asthe folded top edge of side panel 126E shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively,the bag 110E may be formed with a snap closure, a “zip lock”-typeclosure as found on sandwich bags, or a heat seal or removable adhesiveseal or a seal as used on freezer bags.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show an embodiment of the bag, 110F, similar to that shownin FIG. 3, except the entire top edge 140 of each side panel 126F isfolded over for reinforcement and strength.

FIGS. 8 through 12 show the formation of a liquid, grease and residuetrap 142 along the bottom edge 132G of bag 110G. Trap 142 can be formedby gluing laterally spaced apart bonds 144 (FIGS. 9 and 12) between theinterior walls of each side panel 126G.

In this manner, food item 118 within the cooking compartment is heldsuspended above or spaced from the trap 142, as shown in FIG. 8. Anoptional absorbent strip, pad, wad 146, or the like can be disposed intrap 142 to absorb liquid and residue during cooking and subsequenthandling of bag 110G so as to prevent residue and liquid from escapingtrap 142.

FIG. 10 shows the use of mechanical fasteners such as staples 148instead of spot bonds 144 and FIG. 11 shows the similar use of crimpregions or spot welds 150 in place of spot bonds 144. Crimp regions canbe formed by heat and pressure and or by piercing through panels 126G.

Wad 146 can be formed of absorbent paper such as used in paper towels,or foamy or sponge-type synthetic material, or fabric and felt-typematerials and cotton.

The bag, such as 110E shown in FIG. 5, can be placed on the bottom half152 of grill 112B. The top half 154 of grill 112B is pivotally attachedto the bottom half 152 by a hinge 156.

As seen in FIG. 14, side handles or grasps 160 may be formed asextensions of side panels 126H and bonded together along bond line 162.Grasps 160 help to avoid contact with the heated central portion of bag110H. Mounting holes 114H may be formed in side grasps 60 to engagemating projections within a cooking appliance.

As seen in FIG. 15, a series of interconnected bags 110J can be formedfrom an elongated tube 166 in a manner similar to rolled lengths ofplastic bags commonly used at grocery store produce and bagginglocations. Sealed sections 132J form the bottom edge of each bag andbonds 144J define trap areas 142J and cooking compartments 119J.Transverse perforations 170 allow the individual bags 110J to beseparated from tube 166 which may be formed into a roll for dispensing.

FIGS. 16 through 19 show alternate bag constructions with bonded edges.In FIGS. 16 and 17 the side edges 130K are bonded together alongadhesive bond line 172K. A single panel 174K is folded over along abottom fold line 176K prior to forming the adhesive bond lines 172K.

In FIGS. 18 and 19 a single vertical bond line 172L can be formed alongan overlapped interior portion of the panel 126L. A single bottom weldor bond 172L may also be formed along bottom portion 132L. A siliconebased food grade adhesive 182L can be used for forming bonds in bag 110Land Silidor parchment and wax paper can be used for panels 126L. Cookingparchment with a cooking oil or other food release coating or agent canalso be used for panels 126L.

FIGS. 20, 21, 22, and 23 show further bag embodiments according to theinvention.

FIGS. 24 and 25 show another embodiment of the invention wherein bag110M is provided with a closure flap 134M having a peel-off strip 180covering a strip of tacky adhesive 182. Strip 180 may be peeled away touncover the underlying adhesive 182. Closure flap 134 may then be foldeddownwardly along fold line 186 in the direction of arrows 88 to form aliquid or air-tight seal on bag 110M. Adhesive 182 may be of the gummyreusable type, allowing flap 134 to be opened and effectively resealedseveral times.

Similar releasable adhesive 90 (FIG. 25) may be provided on side flaps192 and bottom flap 194 to allow these flaps to be peeled from the frontside panel 126MF so as to release and remove the front side panel 126MFfrom the rear side panel 126MR. This allows frozen food to be easilyremoved, as well as heated food. The front panel 126MF may berepositioned over the rear panel 126MR and resealed by flaps 190, 194and 134M.

FIGS. 26 through 28 show another embodiment of the invention in the formof bag 110N, which is similar to bag 110F of FIGS. 6 and 7 except thatside panel 126N is rolled upon itself to seal the bottom of the bagalong its bottom edge 132N, as shown in FIG. 28. Bottom edge 132N andbond line 172N may be bonded by adhesive 182N or some other known means.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above bagsare merely representative of the many possible embodiments of theinvention and that the scope of the invention should not be limitedthereto, but instead should only be limited according to the followingclaims.

1. A cooking bag, comprising: a cooking compartment; and a smallmounting opening formed in said bag configured for mounting said cookingbag from a hanger in a cooking appliance.
 2. The bag of claim 1, furthercomprising a residue trap.
 3. The bag of claim 1, further comprising areinforcing ring surrounding said mounting opening.
 4. The bag of claim1, wherein said cooking bag comprises an upper edge defining an openingand wherein said mounting opening is located adjacent to said upperedge.
 5. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a food item sealed insaid bag.
 6. The bag of claim 1, wherein said food item is refrigeratedor frozen.
 7. The bag of claim 1, wherein said cooking bag comprisesside edges and wherein gussets are formed along said side edges.
 8. Thebag of claim 1, further comprising a folded flap folded over a topportion of said cooking bag.
 9. The bag of claim 1, further comprisingan absorbent member located within said cooking bag.
 10. The bag ofclaim 1, wherein said bag is formed as one of a series of bags formedfrom a tubular strip.
 11. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a sidepanel, and wherein said mounting opening is formed as a hole throughsaid side panel.
 12. A cooking assembly, comprising: a cookingappliance; a bag mountable within said cooking appliance; and a catchprovided on said appliance for holding said bag in position within saidcooking appliance.
 13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein said catchcomprises a projection engaging said bag.
 14. The assembly of claim 12,wherein said catch comprises a post.
 15. The assembly of claim 12,wherein said catch applies a spring bias against said bag.
 16. A cookingbag for mounting in a cooking appliance with a hanger, comprising: acooking compartment; and a mounting opening formed in said bag forpositioning on the hanger to mount said cooking bag in the cookingappliance by hanging.
 17. The bag of claim 16, further comprising aresidue trap.
 18. The bag of claim 16, further comprising a reinforcingring surrounding said mounting opening.
 19. The bag of claim 16, whereinsaid cooking bag comprises an upper edge defining a bag opening andwherein said mounting opening is located adjacent to said upper edge.20. The bag of claim 16, wherein said cooking bag comprises side edgesand wherein gussets are formed along said side edges.